Julio Rodriguez homers twice and the Mariners keep their slim playoff hopes alive with an 8-2 victory over the Texas Rangers.

They stayed 2.0 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot after the Minnesota Twins won 4-2 in 12 innings against the Boston Red Sox (also on Friday). "Really good ballgame tonight," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame interview Friday.

BOTTOM LINE: The Texas Rangers start a three-game series at home against the Seattle Mariners on Friday. Texas has a 43-35 record at home and a 73-80 record overall. The Rangers have a 35-10 record in games when they did not give up a home run.

Preview the Mariners vs. Rangers game today, with score predictions, stats, starting pitchers and game information.

Julio Rodriguez homered twice and drove in five runs to lead the Seattle Mariners over the Texas Rangers 8-2 Friday night at Globe Life Field. Both

The Texas Rangers say farewell to Globe Life Field this season with one more matchup against the AL West rival Seattle Mariners.

On Friday, a matchup of AL West rivals is on the schedule, with the Seattle Mariners (78-75) visiting the Texas Rangers (73-80) at 8:05 PM ET.The upcoming three-game series that pits the Rangers

After avoiding being hit by a loose bat, Julio Rodriguez, the potential tying run for the Mariners, found himself picked off third base during a stunning to 2-1 loss to the Yankees.

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom struck out five over three innings Friday night in his first home start for the Texas Rangers in nearly 17 months after his recovery from elbow surgery.